Intimidated by the need to pair wine with food for your grand holiday meal? Have no fear, two-word answer here: sauvignon blanc.

A major element of wine-food pairing is “palate cleansing”—scrubbing your mouth so you can better appreciate the next flutter of flavors.

Acidity is key to palate cleansing. Sauvignon blanc almost always is tangy, tart and zesty with crisp, clean fruit flavors. Common taste notes include lime zest, grapefruit, lemon, green fig, passion fruit and honeydew melon. Freshly cut grass is common nose note, especially with New Zealand efforts. All this cleanses your palate and sets you up for tasty joys.

If you plan a multi-dish, multi-wine event, “sauv blanc” is a default choice, especially with salads and fish and other early courses, and it can be pocketbook- and palate-friendly.

New Zealand is a premier terroir for sauvignon blanc. The Marlborough region, with warm days and ocean-cooled nights, produces excellent values at affordable prices. If sauv blanc is your default food pair, New Zealand Marlborough is a default sauv blanc region.

If you want French flair, your sauv blanc play is called Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé — named for Loire Valley regions where the grape grows and wine is made. Sancerre is the left bank, Pouilly-Fumé the right.